You may see the messages described in this article while tracking time with your Windows Client if your time tracking is interrupted for a variety of reasons. We'll provide some additional detail, below, as to what those messages mean and why you are receiving them.

Timetracker 4 | Automatic Tracking Messages

Below are the reasons that tracking may pause or stop on the Timetracker 4 Windows Client:

Tracking Stopped - No Response from User

Under "Configuration" -> "Time Tracking", an administrator can set the amount of time (minimum of 10 minutes) that passes before the system checks with users to see if they want to continue tracking time. A popup message will display once you exceed that time and a countdown then begins (also configurable in the same section) to give you time to respond.

If the user fails to respond after the configured time, this is the message that will display:

Tracking Stopped - Computer Locked

When you click on the "Settings" icon () on the client's main window, you can enable the selection "Stop tracking when PC is locked".

When this is turned on and you lock your computer or it goes into power-saving mode, time tracking stops completely. When you log back on, your Windows Client will display the following message and you will have to start time tracking again from scratch:

Tracking Stopped - Track Length Exceeded

Under "Configuration" -> "Time Tracking", an admin can set a number, in hours, at which the Windows Client will stop tracking once this number has been exceeded. When you cross that threshold, time tracking will stop and the following message will display:

Tracking Stopped - Entry Edited or Deleted by User

If a user edits or deletes the current time track, tracking will stop on that work item and the following message will display:

Network Issue in the System - Client Lost Connection to TFS

If the Windows Client loses connection to TFS due to some kind of network issue, the following "Reconnecting ..." icon and message will display on the main client window. Time tracking does not stop in this case and continues in the background until connectivity has been re-established.

Timetracker 3 | Automatic Tracking Messages

Time tracking may be paused on the Windows Client for various reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:

You have not responded to the configured activity check prompt, so you are assumed to be inactive

You have locked/rebooted/switched off the system while tracking time

Network issue in the system - the client lost connection to TFS

ID

Description

1

"Resume Without Pause"

Resumes time tracking and removes any detected pause in tracking. Tracking continues as if there was no pause and you have been working the entire time. The Windows Client fills the gap from the time the pause occurred until the present time and resumes tracking.

Typical situation:

The user , starts tracking, leaves his/her desk for a meeting and locks the PC.

The user reboots the machine while working.

The following diagram shows the pictorial representation of the Windows Client behavior when you select this option:

2

"Remove Pause, Continue Now"

With this option, the Windows Client resumes time tracking only from when you choose this selection after a pause and the resulting activity check prompt. It calculates the gap that occurred as time during which you were not working.

Typical situation:

A user goes off for lunch and locks their PC.

A long call interrupted a user's work and the configured activity check paused their time tracking.

The following diagram shows the pictorial representation of the Windows Client behavior when you select this option:

3

"Stop Tracking"

With this option, the Windows Client stops tracking time and considers any time after the pause as time during which no work occurred.

Typical situation:

A user shuts down their PC at the end of their work day (but forgets to stop tracking).

The following diagram shows the pictorial representation of the Windows Client behavior when you select this option:

4

Click this icon to view the details of the work you have done when tracking was paused.

Details include the start and end time of work completed on a specific work item, as well as the name of the work item.

5

The message that tells the event name and the time when that event occurred ("Your computer was locked at 3:50pm. Time tracking paused.").